


luck will find me

by beautifulglider



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Finn and Rey are adopted siblings, Fluff, Gay Poe Dameron, Getting Together, Kid BB-8, M/M, Meet-Cute, background Wedge Antilles/Luke Skywalker
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-12
Updated: 2017-08-12
Packaged: 2018-12-14 06:35:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11777496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beautifulglider/pseuds/beautifulglider
Summary: When Finn is inconveniently stranded, he gets some help from a spirited eight-year-old and her handsome father. He doesn't expect to see them again after that.Fate has other plans.





	luck will find me

**Author's Note:**

> So I spend a lot of my time with a small child. Some days we go to the park. Kids we've never met approach us there on a regular basis, wanting to play. One day I started thinking how cute it would be if Finn met Poe while playing with Poe's daughter at a playground. This fic grew from there. 
> 
> Many thanks to P, N, and M for reading early drafts and giving me such useful feedback. You guys are amazing!
> 
> Title from Unbound by Ásgeir.

Finn’s car won’t start.

He turns the key in the ignition once, twice, three times. No luck. He’s not going anywhere in this vehicle right now—which is kind of a problem, given that he’s parked in the lot outside his previous place of employment. Very recently previous. As in, he just quit his job ten minutes ago, without warning but with good reason, and stormed out of the building for emphasis.

And now he can’t leave. This is… _fine_.

Resisting the urge to vent his frustration on the steering wheel, he starts trying to figure out what’s wrong with the car. It doesn’t take long. Turns out he failed to shut the trunk properly when he got to work this morning, which means the battery is most likely drained. Good news: it should be an easy fix. (Hopefully.) Bad news: he’s still stuck here.

So he pulls out his phone and calls Rey. It rings through almost to voicemail, but she picks up at the last moment, sounding out of breath.

“Yeah?”

“Hey! Weird question. Could you come help me jumpstart my car?”

Rey snorts. “No. I have class in five minutes.”

Well, that explains the breathlessness. She’s probably speed-walking across campus.

“Okay, fair. So what’s the soonest you could realistically get here?”

Finn waits while she does the math in her head.

“Two hours, maybe. My class is an hour and a half, and then I’d have to stop by Han’s to get the truck and the jumper cables. What’s going on? I thought you weren’t done until 5.”

“Yeah, about that… I quit.”

Rey laughs at first, but when Finn doesn’t join in, she goes silent. “Wait, are you serious? You finally did it?”

“Yeah. Look, I’ll tell you more when I see you, but it was _bad_ , Rey. Like, real bad. I mean, maybe I could have handled it better in the moment, but…” Finn heaves a sigh. “No, probably not. Anyway, I just want to be as far away from here as humanly possible, and I can’t even start my damn car because I left the trunk open and drained the battery.”

Rey’s low-pitched whistle is appropriately sympathetic. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. Do you have somewhere you can wait for me?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’ll find something.”

Rey hangs up with a promise to text when she’s on her way. Finn locks his car and sets off on foot. He thinks he can recall seeing a Starbucks not too far from here, and while he doesn’t much feel like giving money to a giant corporation at the moment, it might be the best waiting place he can hope for.

He hasn’t gotten far before he comes across something that changes his mind.

There’s a park at the end of the street three blocks down. Its centerpiece is a huge wooden play-structure, built like a castle and accompanied by swing-sets and a sandbox. There are benches and picnic tables scattered around the playground, and beyond them is a vast green field where Finn would totally spread a blanket if he had one. Judging from all the kids running around, school must have let out for the day. He can see parents talking on the sidelines, pushing their children on swings. There’s a group of high-schoolers playing with a frisbee, and a middle-aged woman clearly trying to keep her dog from chasing it. A couple twenty-somethings are running laps around the outer edge of the field.

This is way better than Starbucks. Finn crosses to the far side of the playground and sits down on an empty bench.

Unfortunately, he’s still got two hours to kill.

He starts out people-watching, which is fine at first, until it begins to feel awkward. Then he takes out his phone again, but he gives that up pretty quickly too; he’s not feeling level-headed enough to play games or to read, and he’s certainly not checking his email. With a sigh, he leans back against the firm wood of the bench and stares up at the sky. It’s a clear, vivid blue, offset by vibrant green trees, and it makes him feel small somehow. Like there’s so much out there, and all he has is right here, right now.

He lowers his gaze to the ground again. That’s when he notices the jacket.

He can’t tell it’s a jacket at first. All he can see is a lump of what looks like brown leather beneath the bench he’s sitting on. He leans down to retrieve it, unfolding it for a better look. It’s large, adult-sized. The leather is soft and worn, but also fairly clean, which makes Finn think it hasn’t been out here long. Should he try to find its owner? There’s no telling if they’re still here or already gone. He looks out over the park, but of course this reveals nothing useful. He could check the inner tags for identifying information. A name, maybe, or better yet a phone number—

“Hey!”

The shout is loud and close-by. Finn looks up instinctively. There’s a redheaded girl striding across the playground, eyes locked on him.

“That doesn’t belong to you,” she says fiercely, once she’s close enough to speak to Finn without shouting. “You shouldn’t just take things that don’t belong to you.”

This kid can’t be older than ten, and looks small in her star-print overalls, but she’s surprisingly intimidating. Finn fights the urge to make a run for it.

“You mean this?” He holds up the jacket. “Is it yours?”

Nodding, the girl plants her hands on her hips and glares at him.

“I’m not taking it, I promise,” Finn says. “I just found it under the bench. I thought maybe somebody lost it.” And he holds it out as a sort of peace offering.

Her face clears up instantly. She accepts the jacket, draping it over her arms like a heavy rug, and Finn breathes a quiet sigh of relief.

“I thought you were gonna steal it,” she explains. “I left it there on purpose. It contains vital information for the Resistance. I had to hide it until it was safe to come back for it.”

Finn blinks at her. “The resistance?”

“Yeah, it’s part of my game. See, the Resistance is trying to stop the bad guys. They’re called the Order. They want to control everybody and tell them what to do, and they’re not very nice about it. They’re trying to take over the _whole galaxy_ , but the Resistance won’t let them. I’m a robot who’s helping the Resistance, so the Order’s chasing me.”

Finn wonders if this is something she saw in a movie or something she came up with on her own. He’d hate to stifle her creativity by asking, though, so he just nods. “Good for you. Somebody’s gotta fight the good fight.”

She grins a wide, pleased grin. “It’s my dad’s jacket, actually. He said I could play with it, even though it’s his favorite. Are your kids playing here somewhere?”

And isn’t that an alarming notion. “ _No_. No, no. I don’t have any kids.”

“So you’re just sitting here by yourself?”

“Well, yeah, but my car broke down a few streets away from here. I’m waiting for my sister to come help me fix it.”

The girl frowns, an approximation of grown-up understanding. Then her eyes go wide. “Hey, why don’t you play with me while you wait? You could be a robot too, and we could escape from the Order together!”

Privately, Finn thinks that sounds a lot like how his day’s been going.

“That’s an idea,” he hedges. “So you like robots, huh?”

She nods rapidly. “They’re my favorite! I’ve got a _bunch_ of robot kits at home, and I’ve already built them all. Dad says I can take a class this summer and build more. And I’ve got a robot coloring book, and a robot doll—a soft one, like a stuffed animal. My grandpa gave it to me for my birthday last year. And my favorite movie is Big Hero 6! I’ve seen it so many times I lost count.” She plops down on the bench beside Finn. He’s kinda surprised it took her this long. “My name’s Bee. Well, actually it’s Isabel, but I like to be called Bee. What’s your name?”

“I’m Finn.” And he’s actually considering playing make-believe with a kid he just met at the park. This day just keeps getting weirder. “How exactly does this game of yours work?”

“Oh, we just run and hide from the bad guys. We sneaked onto their spaceship to steal information for the Resistance. Now we have to get back to our escape pods. And we _have_ to keep the jacket safe. The information we need is inside, and it’s vital.” There’s that word again; she says it like she’s just learned it and enjoys the sound.

“All right.” Finn nods. “That doesn’t sound too complicated.”

Bee’s sudden gasp makes him flinch. “Oh! You should have a robot name too. Mine’s BB-8, because my nickname is Bee, and my middle name is Bey, which was my grandma’s last name, and I’m 8 years old. You could use your initials or your birthday or whatever you want.”

Finn thinks, pulling together letters from his name and numbers from his license plate (because his car is still very much on his mind).

“How about FN-2187?” he says at last.

“Great!” Bee leaps to her feet again, gone straight from conversation-mode to game-mode. She points at something—likely imagined—on the other side of the sandbox. “Quick, it’s the Order! We gotta run!”

Without hesitation, Finn jumps up and follows her.

They hide behind some trees first, running swiftly from one tree to another to avoid being seen. It feels almost like hide and seek, or maybe cops and robbers. Next they climb the play-structure, winding their way through tunnels, up staircases, and across bridges all the way to the top. Finn pauses at the first tunnel because he’ll have to crawl on his hands and knees, and these are his nice work pants. A few seconds later, he thinks _screw it_ and drops down on all fours. It’s not every day you get an excuse to relive your childhood.

They stay in the tallest tower for a bit, scoping out the lay of the land, then maneuver their way back to the ground. There Finn gives Bee a boost up to the highest set of monkey bars. Once she’s holding on, she can swing herself across. They’re pretending to pass over a cavernous drop where an automated bridge has malfunctioned, so Finn swings across too. Then Bee guides them over to the swing-sets, where they discover that all the swings are already in use. She swiftly changes her plans. Their original escape pods have been compromised, she says—another word that she voices with significance, like it’s new and she’s excited for the chance to use it. They race to the tire swing instead, and blast off in a stolen enemy ship to the safety of deep space.

They’re swinging as high as they can when they hear someone calling Bee’s name. A man has just come around the edge of the play-structure, obviously searching. His eyes light on Bee and Finn, and his expression brightens. Bee’s enthusiastic wave confirms his identity. Finn swallows hard, because oh no.

Bee’s dad is _hot_.

“Hi Dad!” she calls as he approaches. Finn slows the tire swing to a halt. “This is Finn! We’re playing robots.”

“Well, that’s very kind of Finn,” says Bee’s dad. “You’re not keeping him from anything important, are you?”

“Not at all,” Finn assures him.

“Finn’s car broke,” Bee puts in. “He’s waiting for his sister to get here, so I asked him to play with me.”

“I see.” Bee’s dad is watching Finn oddly—almost like he’s just realized that Finn is not another parent or guardian, just a strange young man playing with his daughter on a playground. Finn’s just realized that too. He hastens to explain.

“Yeah, I’m parked outside the firm over on First Street. I think my battery’s drained, but my sister’s got class, so I’m kinda stuck for a while. I was sitting on one of those benches over there when Bee came up and started talking to me.”

Back at the monkey bars, Bee had given him the leather jacket to carry, and he’s had it slung over one arm ever since. Now he offers it to Bee’s dad, whose posture has ever-so-slightly relaxed.

“Yeah, she does that,” he says. “Made friends with several of our neighbors that way. I’m Poe, by the way.” Smiling, he takes the jacket with one hand and offers the other to shake. Finn does his best not to get flustered by the skin contact.

(Dude’s got a kid, after all. Safe to say he’s probably not on the market.)

“Is it time to go?” Bee asks, reluctance in her voice.

“Not yet,” Poe says. “Just came to check in. I hadn’t seen you in a while. But now that I’ve heard about Finn’s car, I’ve got an idea. What if we were to help him fix it?”

Bee gapes at him. “Really? We can do that?”

She sounds as if it’s the most exciting thing she’s heard all day. Finn knows the feeling.

“You can do that?” he echoes.

“Sure.” Poe shrugs. “We’ve got nowhere to be. I’ve got the cables in my car. We could do it, no problem.”

“Let’s do it!” Bee cries.

And Finn, well, he’d have to be pretty crazy to turn down an unconditional offer of help. He’s not that crazy. Not yet, anyway.

So the three of them hop into Poe’s silver compact and drive over to the firm. Finn is distinctly glad it’s only 4:30. That means they have a solid half-hour before any of his former coworkers leave the building. With any luck he’ll be long gone by then, and won’t have to see or be seen by any of them.

“Fancy-looking place,” Poe remarks while they’re setting up the jumper cables. “You work here?”

“Not anymore,” Finn says, and then figures he ought to clarify. “I just quit today.”

Bee looks up from her curious inspection of the inner workings of his car. “Why?”

A quick glance around the parking lot reveals that they’re still alone. Finn lowers his voice a bit anyway.

“Well, there’s a lot of reasons. For one thing, they treat their employees like crap. Sorry, garbage?” But Poe’s eyes are laughing, so Finn thinks he’s all right. “They also overcharge their clients, even when they don’t need to and they know certain clients can’t afford it. But the last straw was, they want to build this new facility, right? But if they build it where they want to, there’s a good chance it’ll contaminate the water supply of this town nearby. My bosses? They don’t care. It doesn’t matter to them that they’re putting the safety of all these people at risk. They just green-lit the project this morning.”

Bee’s staring at him, openmouthed. “That’s _horrible_!”

“No kidding,” Poe says with feeling.

“How would they like it if their water got poisoned?” Bee adds.

Finn rolls his eyes. “That’s what I said. But I got told it’s not my job to worry about that. So I was like, yeah, you know what, it’s not my job _at all_ anymore, because I quit.”

“Wow,” Poe laughs, looking impressed. “Good for you.”

Trying to ignore the way his face heats up, Finn shrugs. “It wasn’t much. I mean, the project’s still on, whether I’m working there or not.”

“At least you cared enough that you couldn’t just stand by,” Poe points out. “And hey, if there’s anything else you can do, maybe it’ll come to you.” The cables are attached and ready, so he goes to start his car. “Okay, fingers crossed.”

Finn literally does cross his fingers.

“Thanks again for doing this,” he says.

“Don’t thank me ’til we know if it worked,” Poe replies, his eyes on his cell phone to keep track of time. After a couple minutes, Finn attempts to start his car too.

It fires up just like it’s supposed to. He could cry with relief.

While Bee jumps and cheers, Poe nods in satisfaction and gets to work removing the cables. “You know you’ve gotta keep it running for a while, right?” he says. “To give it time to recharge?”

Finn nods. “I’ve got a family full of mechanics. It’d be harder _not_ to know some of this stuff.”

But now, with his car rumbling softly in the background, it feels as if their adventure has reached its natural conclusion. Bee bounces over to hug him, which is a pleasant surprise. She thanks him for playing robots with her. He thanks her (and her dad) for saving him. Poe, who’s watching the two of them with a fond sort of smile, just says they were happy to help. They wish Finn good luck, and Bee waves from the passenger-side window as they drive away.

Finn regrets the separation instantly. He’s well aware that he’s unlikely to ever see them again. They seemed like such great people, though! Maybe he should have asked for Poe’s number or something… but that probably would have been weird, and anyway, it’s too late now.

Sliding into his car, he texts Rey to say he no longer requires her assistance and then, finally, leaves the firm on First Street behind.

\---

The weekend farmers market is the definition of bustling, Finn thinks. No doubt it helps that the weather is glorious: clear and warm, with just the hint of a breeze swirling through the stalls of the open-air market. Much better than last time Finn was here, when the wind was so fierce that a few of the tents almost got carried away.

Today the busy crowds have him and Rey holding hands so they won’t lose each other. He trails close behind her, munching on a donut while she examines fresh produce. She’s got a cloth basket over one arm filled with fruit and veggies and a dozen eggs in a carton. She stops to stare thoughtfully at a display of flowers.

“Are those on our list?” Finn asks.

“Not technically,” she replies. “But I was thinking of buying some for Dads. You know, Father’s Day’s coming up soon. Luke said he wants to redo the garden behind the house. Put in some new flowers, maybe a birdhouse or two.”

“If we’re gonna do a garden-themed gift this year, we should totally get a hummingbird feeder. Wedge wants one. He’s been saying so for weeks.”

“You’re sure he hasn’t bought it for himself yet?”

“Not that I’ve seen.”

Finn holds the donut up to Rey’s mouth. She takes a large bite, closing her eyes for a moment of blissful appreciation. Once she’s chewed and swallowed, she says, “What about these? Do you think Luke would like them?”

The flowers in the flat she’s pointing to are pretty—small blooms colored red and orange and white—but that’s about the limit of Finn’s ability to judge. Luke, on the other hand, would factor in more than just looks when deciding what to plant in his garden.

“Yeah, I’m gonna go with a definite maybe.”

Rey rolls her eyes, but it’s good-natured. “Well, I’m not buying any today. We still have to get that soap he asked for, that rosemary mint one, and the honey too.”

There’s an apiary booth in the next row, and the lady who sells the herbal soaps is three stalls down. They split up, Rey for the soaps and Finn to get the honey. After a brief inspection of their wares, he purchases Luke’s honey and nothing else. (He’s tempted, but he already bought donuts today, and he really ought to save his money.) Rey hasn’t come to meet him yet, so he heads back to the soap stall in search of her.

She’s not alone. As Finn approaches, he sees a redheaded kid in an orange polka-dot dress talking with her. A _familiar_ redheaded kid.

“Finn!” Bee exclaims when she catches sight of him.

Rey’s narrowed eyes dart between them. “You know each other?”

Finn answers by way of introduction, gesturing to each in turn. “Bee, meet my beloved sister, Rey. Rey, meet Bee, who plays a darn good game of robots.”

“Wait, she’s your _sister_?” Bee looks up at Rey with newfound interest.

“And I’m grateful almost every day,” Finn quips. Rey’s not close enough to elbow him, so she settles for rolling her eyes again. “But what I wanna know is, how did you two meet without me?”

“Bee was looking at the bags over there”—Rey nods at the stall across the way—“and a passing stroller knocked her off-balance right into them. I helped untangle her. No damage done.”

Bee scuffs a sandal on the ground. “I should have been paying more attention. But they have a bag with a pattern that looks like gears! It’s so cool!”

Finn laughs. “You’re not here by yourself, are you?”

She shakes her head. “No, Dad and Jess are here too. But they were just talking to people and it was boring, so I went to look around instead.”

“How about we go find him together?” Rey suggests. “I’m sure you don’t want him to worry if he can’t find you.”

Finn cringes internally. So he _may_ have gushed to Rey about Poe’s good looks after the whole drained-battery incident. How was he to know they’d bump into him barely two weeks later? And when Poe’s got someone else with him, to boot! Someone with a traditionally feminine name, who might even be a girlfriend…

Maybe this won’t turn out to be one of the more embarrassing episodes in Finn’s frequently embarrassing life, but he’s not counting on it.

Once Rey pays for Luke’s soap, they join hands again, this time with Bee in the middle. Despite the crowds, tracking Poe down isn’t too difficult. They spot him—just him, no companions—on the main thoroughfare, where it looks as if he’s trying to locate Bee as well. He beams when he sees them. He’s carrying a bouquet of flowers and a pie nestled in the crook of one arm. He’s just as attractive as Finn remembered.

“Dad, look who I found!” Bee calls.

“What a coincidence,” Poe replies. “D’you know, we were talking about you the other day. Wondered if your car was doing all right.”

“Oh yeah, she’s fine,” Finn says. “As long as I remember to close all the doors firmly, I’ve got nothing to worry about. Crazy, right?”

In unspoken agreement, they all step off to the edge of the sidewalk to be less of an impediment to foot-traffic. Bee doesn’t let go of either of their hands. It’s adorable.

“Where’s Jess?” she asks her dad.

“Went to get the car. Jessika’s a friend of mine,” he explains to Finn and Rey. “We’re having dinner with an old family friend tonight, and I couldn’t possibly show up empty-handed.” He lifts the pie and the flowers to demonstrate. “But what about you? What are you guys up to?”

“Ah, not much,” Finn says. “Just picking up some groceries, you know. This is kind of a regular thing for us.”

“Guess what? Rey is Finn’s sister!” Bee chimes in. Because Finn totally forgot the second round of introductions. Oops.

“Thanks so much for helping with his car the other day,” Rey says.

“Oh, no trouble at all,” Poe assures her. “Speaking of which, how’s the job situation?” he asks Finn. “Found a new one yet?”

Finn shakes his head. “Nope, still working on it. But I did send a tip to the news about the project at the firm. Anonymous, of course. Actually took a physical piece of paper and dropped it in their mailbox. Rey came with me.”

“It was rather like playing spies,” she says with a grin. “I’m not sure we had to be _quite_ so clandestine.”

“Hey, I don’t want this getting back to me!” Finn protests. “Loyalty’s no joke to these people. They could have ties to organized crime, for all we know, and dying before the age of 90 is _not_ in my life plan.”

“Wait, you have a life plan?” Rey asks incredulously. Bee laughs aloud, while Poe chuckles under his breath.

“Rude,” Finn retorts. “Anyway, I just thought if we could bring more publicity to the project—you know, _negative_ publicity, because it’s _terrible_ —then maybe it might get the firm to back off.”

“It’s a good idea,” Poe agrees. “You’re a good man, Finn.”

Oh god. Finn’s blushing, he can feel it.

“Yeah, he’s not so bad,” Rey teases. “He even helps me study now that he’s unemployed and drowning in free time.”

“That’s right, Finn said you’re a student. Are you at the university?”

“Second year.” Rey nods. “College of Engineering.”

“Hey, my dad’s an engineer!” Bee exclaims.

“I build planes, mostly,” Poe says. “Fix ’em when they break. Fly ’em too, when I can, but that’s more of a hobby.”

Rey’s eyes have gone wide, and Finn knows exactly why. “You’re joking. Our dads, one is a pilot and the other is a flight instructor.”

“Well, what are the odds?” Grinning, Poe turns to Finn. “Maybe it’s you. Maybe you’re some kind of magnet for pilots and engineers.”

“You know, you might be on to something,” Finn manages to joke. Inwardly his mind is racing. Poe appears to think well of him. They all seem to get along, Bee included. It was sheer luck that they happened to find each other again. Inconvenient crush aside, should Finn ask to exchange numbers? To hang out on purpose?

Yeah. Yeah, he could do that. He could totally—

A car horn blares nearby. Poe’s silver compact has just slid into the nearest no-parking zone, a woman with sleek dark hair behind the wheel. Bee finally releases Rey’s and Finn’s hands to wave at her. Poe looks surprised—almost like he’d gotten so caught up in the conversation, he forgot she was coming.

“Well, that’s our ride,” he says. “We’d better run. Don’t want to keep her waiting.”

And it’s probably for the best, Finn tells himself. After all, why would a smart, charming father like Poe want anything to do with an unemployed twenty-something mess like him?

They exchange a quick round of nice-to-meet-yous and good-to-see-yous. Maybe they’ll bump into each other again sometime, Poe suggests with a smile that makes Finn’s heart do ridiculous things. Then man and daughter climb into the car, and the dark-haired woman pulls away from the curb.

“You totally should have gotten his number,” Rey says.

What.

“ _What_?”

“He was flirting with you,” she insists.

Finn scoffs. “No, no, let’s be real. If he’s not married to Bee’s mom, then he’s probably dating the cute girl who’s driving his car.”

“I distinctly heard him describe her as a friend.” Which, okay, that’s true, but Finn’s still not convinced.

“Well, if not her then some other girl—woman—I mean, come on! The guy’s got a kid!”

Rey levels him with an unimpressed stare. “Finn. You have two fathers. You of all people should know that having a child doesn’t guarantee he’s straight.”

That… that’s a good point. But if Poe really _was_ flirting, and Finn just let him leave? Nope. Too awful to think about.

“Maybe he’s just got one of those personalities,” he tells Rey. “You know, the always-seems-like-he’s-flirting-because-he’s-just-that-nice. There’s no way he’s into me.”

Rey’s eyebrows are skeptical. “If you say so,” she mutters, but mercifully she lets it drop.

Shopping done, they carry their bags the few city blocks to where Finn parked his car. Rey drops into the passenger seat with the groceries and turns down the radio to talk about the project she’s doing for one of her classes.

Finn does his best not to think any Poe-related thoughts as he drives them both home.

He fails miserably.

\---

Maybe libraries are supposed to be quiet places, but in this library, on this particular afternoon, that’s certainly not the case. It looks like there’s some kind of preschool event happening in the program room. Small children have been running in and out for the past ten minutes, closely pursued by anxious-looking parents. Finn’s sitting in an armchair between the program room and the youth section, reading _The Indispensable Calvin and Hobbes_.

Or trying to, anyway. It’s been slow-going since the preschoolers showed up.

So he puts the book down and checks his phone instead. He’s got a text message from Rey, and another from his old buddy Slip. No new email. No social media notifications. Weather forecast is promising a hot, sunny weekend. Finn should probably spend some time outside.

After a short-lived attempt to restrain himself (because he’s checked it more times than he can count over the past three days), he gives in and goes to the webpage for The Petition. It was started by an environmental activist group, on account of the exposé the local news published earlier this week, to call for a halt to the firm’s potentially water-damaging project.

Signatures are still climbing. It’s still a satisfying sight.

Eventually the rampant kids are corralled into the program room and the large outer doors are pulled shut. Peace descends once again over the rest of the library, broken only by the occasional high-pitched squeal from inside the room. Sighing, Finn picks up his book.

He’s reading along quite contentedly when someone taps him on the shoulder.

It’s Bee. Her red hair is done up in an impressive fishtail braid today. Her t-shirt features an illustrated depiction of the solar system. She’s got what looks to be several comic books tucked beneath one arm.

“Hi Finn!” she whispers, and waves at him.

It hasn’t even been a full week since the last time he saw her. Finn can’t decide whether he’s surprised or not.

“Hey BB-8,” he murmurs back. “What’s up?”

She sits down in the empty chair beside his. “Not much. I’m getting more Tintin books because I finished the ones I had at home.” She holds up her armful of comics to prove it. _Destination Moon_ is on top. “And I asked Dad if we can get ice cream after this, because it feels so much like summer outside, and he said yes!”

“Lucky you. So your dad’s around here somewhere?”

“Yep.” She glances out over the library, then shrugs. “I dunno where, though. I wanted to go straight to the kids’ books. He said he’d catch up with me later.”

Maybe it’s wrong of Finn to pry, but once he sees the opportunity he can’t help himself. “What about your mom? She come with you today?”

Before he’s even finished the question, Bee’s already shaking her head. “Nope, it’s just me and Dad. Always, not just today.”

Despite her unruffled manner, Finn gives her a rueful grimace. “Ah. Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” She shrugs again. “I never knew her. It’s not a big deal.” Suddenly she leans forward in her chair. “Hey, Rey said you guys have _two_ dads, right?”

“We do.”

“Are they in love with each other?”

Finn blinks. “Uh, they’re married, so I kinda hope so.”

Bee lets out a soft gasp. “That’s so cool! I haven’t met any guys who were married before. I only know Jess and her girlfriend, but they’re not married yet.”

Well, that answers _that_ question. “Are you keeping track of the gay people you know, or the married ones?”

Bee frowns thoughtfully. “Both, I guess.”

“So why’d you wanna know about my dads?”

“Because I thought they might be a couple. What I really want to know is if you’re okay with gay people. My dad’s gay, and I won’t be friends with anybody who’d be mean about it. But if your dads are married, you probably don’t mind.”

And now Finn has more information than he bargained for. It takes him a minute to realize he’s gawking.

“Yeah, definitely,” he tells Bee. “Not a problem. I’m totally fine with it.”

“Good,” she says with a resolute nod. Clearly looking out for her father is serious business. It’s kinda sweet that she’s so protective of him—and it makes sense, in a way, if it’s always been just the two of them. Finn wonders what Poe would think of Bee’s litmus test for new friends. (The sheer fact of its existence would suggest that he doesn’t know about it.)

“Wait,” he says aloud as the thought occurs to him. “If I just passed your test or whatever, does that mean we’re officially friends?”

“I think so,” Bee says earnestly.

Finn’s heart swells.

“Well, in that case, we’re gonna need a secret handshake,” he informs her.

Judging from the look of excitement on her face, Bee wholeheartedly agrees.

They’ve just finished crafting their handshake—which deserves to go down in the annals of great handshake history because it’s freaking _awesome_ —when Poe appears from behind one of the stacks. At the sight of Finn, he breaks into a delighted smile and strides over to meet them.

“Finn! Buddy! How are you?”

Finn could bask in that kind of enthusiasm. He responds with a flippant, “Eh, could be worse. How about you?”

Poe settles on the armrest of Bee’s chair. “Oh, can’t complain. Got to leave work early to hang out with this little munchkin.” He tugs lightly on Bee’s braid, making her scrunch up her nose at him. Finn suddenly wonders if he’s responsible for the hair-braiding. Wow, that would be cute.

“What brings you here?” Poe asks him.

“Honestly? I’m taking a break,” Finn says. “If I have to look at one more job listing this week, I’m gonna lose it.”

Poe pulls a face in sympathy, then peers at the book in Finn’s lap. “So you’re reading Calvin and Hobbes instead,” he says, eyes glinting.

Oh yeah. Finn forgot about that.

“So I’m reading Calvin and Hobbes instead,” he confirms. “And I am not embarrassed. Not at all. Definitely not.”

Poe laughs softly. “Hey, no judgment here. I think I’ve got most of those tucked away in my closet somewhere. Read the heck out of ’em when I was growing up. I always liked when he pretended to be that space explorer, what was his name?”

“Spaceman Spiff!”

“That’s the one. Truth be told, I’ve been flipping through Bee’s comics when she’s done with ’em. They’re not without flaws, of course, but it’s easier to talk about that stuff if we’ve both read it. And it’s fun, y’know. Makes you feel like a kid again.”

“Exactly! It’s, like, therapeutic or something. Takes you out of the moment, lets you pretend that life isn’t awful and confusing and out of control—” And maybe Finn should have left his existential dread out of the conversation. He laughs awkwardly. “Yeah, I’m not always this pessimistic. I think it’s the stress.”

“Stress will do that to you,” Poe says, so grave that it’s plainly in jest.

“I know!” Bee cries, jumping out of her chair. “You should come get ice cream with us! Ice cream always makes me feel better.” She spins to face her father. “Can Finn come too, Dad? Can he? Please?”

“I think you have to ask if he _wants_ to come first,” Poe reminds her. To Finn, he adds, “No pressure. You’re definitely welcome, but don’t feel like you have to.”

“Finn, would you like to have ice cream with us?” Bee repeats, as gracious as if she were inviting him to a formal ceremony.

Finn stares at both of them. Then he gets decisively to his feet.

“You know what? Ice cream sounds perfect.”

\---

Poe gives him directions to Bee’s favorite ice cream parlor, which is less than ten minutes away. Finn meets them there. Once they’ve gotten their selections, they sit down at a table near the front of the store.

“So I have to tell you,” Poe says, “about the petition I signed this morning.”

Finn pumps his fists in victory. “I mean, not that I personally had anything to do with that, but I’m super into the fact that there’s a petition now.”

“I’d argue you had a lot to do with it,” Poe objects amiably. “Would the news even have published that article without a nudge in the right direction?”

“Well, _I’d_ argue it could have been anyone to give them a nudge. It didn’t have to be me.” Finn takes a bite of brownie batter ice cream, then adds, “But then again, it probably _was_ me, so I guess I can allow myself the tiniest bit of pride.”

As Poe snorts with laughter, Finn turns to Bee and says, “So when’s summer vacation?  That’s coming up soon, right?”

“There’s only two weeks left! I can’t wait!” And she bounces so eagerly in her seat that she almost drops her ice cream.

“Any big plans?”

“Well, I’m signed up for robot-building class, and I’m gonna read tons of books, and watch as much TV as Dad will let me, and play outside with my friends. I wanna visit Grandpa too, but he lives far away, so we have to see when Dad can get time off work. I think it’s sad that grown-ups don’t get summer vacation too,” she adds with a frown.

“Tell me about it,” Finn says fervently.

“Aren’t you sort of on vacation right now?” Poe teases.

Finn gives him a playful glare. “No! I don’t get to relax; I have to worry about how I’m gonna pay rent. And then there are people like my sister who won’t even put their vacations to good use. I mean, she could have spent the summer doing absolutely nothing if she wanted, but what did she choose? Part-time job, full-time course load.” He rolls his eyes, and Bee giggles.

“Hey, I was wondering,” she says. “If Rey’s your sister, how come you look so different? Were you adopted?”

It is quite possible that the most mortified expression in human history is now adorning Poe’s features.

“Oh god,” he mutters. “Bee, you can’t just ask people that. Finn, I am so sorry—”

Laughing, Finn cuts off the attempt at damage control. “It’s fine. Really, don’t worry about it. Yeah, both of us are. We were in the foster system; you know what that is?” Bee nods. “Yeah, we were there for a while—not together, separately. But then Luke and Wedge took us in, and then they offered to adopt us, and they’re pretty cool guys, so we figured we’d stick around.”

Poe’s brow furrowed at the start of that last sentence. “Wait, not… Luke Skywalker?”

Finn’s jaw drops. “You know him?”

“Yeah, actually. His sister is a family friend, kinda like a second mother to me.”

“No way, _Leia_? I just saw her yesterday! Rey works in Han’s auto shop!”

Connection discovered, they waste no time agreeing on the eccentricity of Han and Leia’s relationship. (Their sudden remarriage last spring, after nearly a decade of divorce, blindsided all their combined acquaintance.) Bee has some funny stories to tell about times spent with Leia. Poe has some amusing anecdotes about Luke and Wedge that Finn’s never heard before. From there the conversation flows effortlessly over a whole range of subjects: jobs and school and other assorted adventures.

Finn’s having an even better time than he hoped. More importantly, though…

Rey was right. Poe’s flirting. At least, Finn’s like ninety-five percent sure he is. And Finn’s doing his level best to flirt right back, because how could he not? This guy gets more and more amazing the longer Finn knows him.

Bee has just wrapped up a tale about a class field trip last month when her eyes lock on something outside.

“That’s my friend Ari!" she gasps. "Be right back!”

And she’s out the door in a flash, bell tinkling in her wake. Poe laughs at his daughter’s antics, then smiles across the table at Finn as if inviting him to share in the joke. All at once it hits Finn: They’re alone now. No curious eight-year-old listening in to whatever they might say. This could be his only chance.

He starts to speak at the exact moment Poe does.

“Sorry, you go ahead,” Poe says politely.

“No, please, you first,” Finn insists.

“But you—”

“No, no. Go ahead.”

“Are you sure you don’t—”

“Yeah, go for it.”

Poe glances down at the table, clears his throat. “Okay. All right.” He looks up at Finn again, shoulders squared. “I was going to ask if, maybe, you might want to get dinner sometime. Just us.”

Wait, _seriously_? Finn cannot believe his luck.

“I was about to ask you the same thing,” he says.

Poe blinks at him, then chuckles faintly. “Well, that’s a good sign. I hope.”

“Yeah.” Finn nods. “Yeah, I think so.”

By the time Bee returns, they’ve exchanged numbers and made plans to go out later next week. Then Poe admits that he and his daughter probably ought to head out. They exchange their goodbyes in front of the shop—but at least it’s only for today, Finn thinks giddily. Before he drives home, he takes great delight in texting Rey about this incredible new development.

She takes great delight in saying _I told you so_.

\---

Their first date is a resounding success.

Well, it’s part-date, part-celebration, Poe says, in honor of the job Finn just accepted at a local nonprofit. Finn’s crazy excited about it. The whole thing happened kinda fast: Application over the weekend, phone call on Monday, interview on Wednesday, and they offered him the position directly thereafter. But to have an employer that actually cares about helping people? Sounds like a dream come true to Finn.

He and Poe eat at a cozy little restaurant with great sandwiches, then amble leisurely through the downtown streets, talking and laughing and enjoying each other’s company. Poe is just so wonderful _,_ and Finn, well, he’s pretty smitten. He doesn’t think he’s ever felt more reluctant to part ways after a date—and judging by the fact that Poe keeps finding reasons to linger, it’s safe to say he feels the same.

Of course, their evening must eventually come to an end.

But given that it ends with them making out in Poe’s car, Finn’s not exactly complaining.

\---

He starts his new job the following week. It turns out to be just as awesome as he hoped.

Then he and Poe go out again, and again, and again. They both agree they don’t want to stop any time soon. To be honest, it’s pretty damn awesome too.

\---

Finn awakes to sunshine flickering on his eyelids. There’s a warm body at his back, an arm draped heavily over his waist. He blinks, momentarily disoriented.

Oh yeah. He spent the night at Poe’s place.

He shuts his eyes again, but only briefly, because they’re having none of this going-back-to-sleep nonsense. Resigned, he stretches as much as he can within the confines of Poe’s embrace, then glances around the room.

Bee is sitting on the floor next to his side of the bed.

Heart pounding, Finn does his best to pretend this isn’t awkward. After all, she probably had a good reason for coming in here. And seeing Finn. In bed with her father. That’s not awkward, right?

“Hey kid, what’s up?” he asks in a whisper.

“My plane got stuck in a tree,” she whispers back. “I can’t reach it. Can you help?”

Okay, that’s a pretty good reason.

Slowly and carefully, Finn somehow manages to disentangle himself without waking Poe. Once out of bed, he pauses only to grab a t-shirt off the floor before following Bee downstairs. He pops into the kitchen first to start the coffee maker (because at 8am on a Sunday he’s gonna need it), then grabs Poe’s favorite leather jacket from the hook by the door. The sunshine may be bright on this mid-October morning, but the autumn air is still brisk.

Bee’s plane—a remote control airplane that was a gift from Auntie Leia—is in the tree nearest to the front porch. Even lodged in the lowest branches, it’s clearly too high for her to retrieve. Not so for Finn. He can reach it just by jumping—which is fortunate, because he’s not exactly sure where Poe keeps a ladder around here.

Thanking him profusely, Bee runs off to play again. Finn heads back to the wicker loveseat on the porch to watch. He loves lazy mornings like this. Nothing to do, nowhere to be. The knowledge that he gets to spend the day with his boyfriend and his boyfriend’s daughter makes it even better.

Soon Poe comes out of the house wearing a thick wool sweater and carrying two mugs of coffee.

“And after I tried so hard not to wake you up,” Finn complains.

Poe leans down to kiss his temple. “I think it was your absence that woke me.”

He passes one of the mugs to Finn, then joins him on the loveseat. Wordlessly, they arrange themselves so that Poe is sitting behind him. Finn leans back against Poe’s solid chest; Poe loops his arms around Finn’s shoulders. In the cool morning air, Poe’s body is like a furnace, steady and comforting, and Finn wants to melt into it. Several months of dating, and the feeling of rightness he gets around Poe has yet to get old.

Finn hopes it never does.

After a while, Poe says, “You know, you look good in my jacket.”

“You look good all the time,” Finn retorts, which earns him a gentle laugh and a kiss at the pulse-point of his neck.

“God, I love you,” Poe murmurs against bare skin. Finn shivers agreeably.

“You too,” he replies, and turns to meet Poe’s mouth with his own.

Together they watch Bee’s plane soar in the clear blue-gray sky until it’s time for breakfast.


End file.
